What my musings are all about...

Blogging might well be the 21st century's form of journaling. As a writing teacher, I have always advised my students to keep a daily journal as a way of organizing their thoughts for future writing projects, a discipline I have unfortunately never consistently practiced myself. By blogging, I might finally be able to follow my own good advice.

The difference between journaling and blogging is that the blogger opens his or her writing to the public, something journal- writers are usually reluctant to do. I am not so reticent.

The trick for me will be to avoid cluttering the internet with more blather, something none of us need more of. If I stick to subjects I know: sports and literature, I believe I can avoid that pitfall. I can't promise that I'll not stray from time to time to comment on ancillary subjects, but I will make every attempt to be interesting and perhaps even insightful.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Theory About Championship NBA Teams

In order to contend for an NBA championship a team's starting five must be composed of players who can start on the majority of teams in the NBA.

Example: Durant, Ibaka, Perkins, Westbrook, Martin, of the Oklahoma Thunder could play on the starting five on every other team in the NBA, including the Miami Heat. From the opposite perspective, Smith and Horford are the only two players on the Atlanta Hawks who could be starters on a majority of teams in the NBA.

Example: A contending team must have at least three subs who, if they were on a majority of other teams, would be starters. This is a little trickier, and I admit allows for personal evaluation. Nonetheless, I think the reasoning holds true. For example, Sefolosha, Collison, Maynor would be starters on most of the other teams in the NBA. Tell me the poor Hawks wouldn't love to have these three guys playing alongside Horford and Smith. Okay Teague is a comer, but can he shoot a three like Maynor?

Example: Let's examine the Brooklyn Nets. At the moment, the Nets have three players who would be starters on the majority of NBA teams: Lopez, Williams, Johnson. Many teams would love to have Humphries for his tough rebounding, so he's borderline according to my theory. Ditto, Williams. But not on the majority of NBA teams. See what I mean? Then, one look at the reserves and you see that there are definitely NOT three players who could start on a majority of teams.

Let's take the Lakers. Their starting five are wonderful and could be on any starting five in the NBA. Then, you look at their bench, not a one player could be a starter. Perhaps little Steve Blake. Perhaps.

All right, you take it from here. Examine the NBA rosters. Enjoy. Don't get depressed if your team doesn't have the personnel needed to get to the top of the mountain.

Here's a poem about Michael Jordan who would have been a starter on any team, any time, any place, any era:

Forty-one Seconds on a Sunday in June in Salt Lake City, Utah by Quincy Troupe

for Michael Jordan

rising up in time, michael jordan hangs like an icon, suspended in space,cocks his right arm, fires a jump shot for two, the title game on the line,his eyes two radar screens screwed like nails into the mask of his face

bore in on the basket, gaze focused, a thing of beauty, no shadow, or trace,no hint of fear, in this, his showplace, his ultimate place to shine,rising up in time michael jordan hangs like an icon, suspended in space,

after he has moved from baseline to baseline, sideline to sidelong, his coal-faceshining, wagging his tongue, he dribbles through chaos, snaking serpentine,his eyes two radar screens screwed like nails into the mask of this face,

he bolts a flash up the court, takes off, floats in for two more in this racefor glory, it is his time, what he was put on earth for, he can see the headline,rising up in time, michael jordan hangs like an icon, suspended in space,

inside his imagination, he feels the moment he will embrace, knows his placeis written here, inside this quickening pace of nerves, he will define,his eyes two radar screens screwed like nails into the mask of his face,

inside this moment he will rule on his own terms, quick as a cat he interfacestime, victory & glory, as he crosses over his dribble he is king of this shrine,rising up in time, michael jordan hangs like an icon, suspended in space,his eyes two radar screens screwed like nails into the mask of his face.

Thomas Meschery, a son of Russian immigrants, he became the first international player to play in an NBA All-Star Game in 1963.

An All-American success story. Born in China in 1938, he came to the U.S. with his parents after WW II. An All-American at Lowell High School, San Francisco, and St. Mary's College, Moraga, California. He was the youngest player to named a first team AAU All-American. NBA Star for ten seasons. Noted as one of the toughest players in the NBA. His jersey number has been retired by both St. Mary's and Golden State Warriors. Inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Tom has published two books of poetry, 'Over the Rim' and 'Nothing You Lose Can Be Replaced' and a fourth-coming book of verse, 'Some Men'. He was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2000.